The Big Leagues Go to Washington

"One need not hold a Ph.D. in economics to follow Surdam's arguments, yet the book will also appeal to those who do."

--Michael Haupert, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

"David George Surdam's book, The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989, provides a highly effective link between the widely-known judicial history of professional sports leagues and the far more obscure history of Congressional investigations into sports' monopoly power… Surdam provides fascinating anecdotes that elucidate how Congress' review of professional sports leagues' monopoly power was not simply about applying antitrust law to a particular industry, but rather seeking to protect deeply held interests of local constituencies.--World Competition

 

"Surdam has made a fine contribution to not only the history of sports antitrust, but more broadly to our understanding of how sports leagues and franchises rose to such economic and cultural power in modern America."--Sport in American History

 

"The display of Surdam's encyclopedic knowledge of the intricacies of the business of baseball, football, and basketball is the central strength of The Big Leagues Go to Washington… By wading through pages of hearing transcripts and by examining the three major American professional sports together, Surdam has contributed to our understanding of the business and law of sports."--Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society